5-23. Blaze of Glory.

Sisko and Eddington: Keep your friends close...

THE PLOT

Gen. Martok informs Sisko that he has intercepted a Maquis message, clearly directed to captured Maquis leader Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall), stating that a missile launch is imminent. Martok reveals that the Klingons provided the Maquis with cloaking technology during the conflict with Cardassia. If the missiles are cloaked, they will be impossible to detect; and if they strike Cardassia, then it will be the start of the very war that they have all been trying so hard to avoid.

There is one hope. If they can locate the launch site, then someone who knows the abort codes will be able to deactivate the missiles remotely. Sisko offers Eddington a full pardon for his cooperation. The Maquis leader is bitter about the destruction of his people by the Dominion. He blames Starfleet in general, and Sisko in particular, for allowing it to happen. He does eventually agree to help - but he warns that once this mission is over, he intends to kill Sisko!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: He may be willing to deal with Eddington, but it's clear that he has not forgiven the man his betrayal. Though Sisko talks about how Eddington broke his oath to Starfleet, and how Cal Hudson did so before him, Eddington is right when he says that isn't the captain's real problem. Hudson was a personal friend, Eddington a trusted officer. In Sisko's mind, both men did something worse than betray Starfleet - They betrayed him. Sisko sums it up himself, when he realizes exactly what this entire mission has really been about. "I don't like being lied to!" he snarls, punctuating the statement with a punch.

Eddington: When Sisko says that the Maquis should have been pushing for a negotiated peace with the Cardassians, rather than continuing to wage war, Eddington snaps back: "The Maquis won its greatest victories under my leadership... We had the Cardassians on the run!" As Sisko observes, the Cardassians ran to the Dominion, with predictable results for the Maquis. Those words appear to finally resonate when Eddington stands in the midst of corpses of Maquis who were massacred by the Jem'Hadar. Eddington spends the first part of the episode pretending to have a death wish, a ruse Sisko sees through immediately. After he sees the end result of his private war, what had been an act becomes a reality. Kenneth Marshall's performance here is easily his best of the series, and the many sharp exchanges between Eddington and Sisko form this episode's very strong center.

Nog: Gets the episode's "B" plot. His rotation as cadet now having put him with Security, Nog is finding difficulty dealing with Martok and his Klingons. He complains that they don't even acknowledge his presence, just looking over his head when he tries to talk to them about violations of station regulations. After Sisko tells him to stand up to them, to earn their respect by refusing to be intimidated, Nog spends most of the rest of his subplot spoiling for a fight - though when his chance finally comes, his voice quavers with fear even as he forces the confrontation.


THOUGHTS

Blaze of Glory brings the Eddington arc to a close, and to all appearances closes out the DS9 Maquis arc as well. Following up on Gul Dukat's vow to cleanse Cardassian space of the Maquis, this episode reveals that the Jem'Hadar have destroyed them. Which makes sense: The Jem'Hadar were established in their very first appearance as ruthless.  There's no reason they would have wasted any time in removing an enemy from space settled by treaty as Cardassian space... which is now Dominion space.

For Eddington, this means that the cause he fought for, and the people for whom he sacrificed his freedom, have been all but eradicated. And it happened while he was in prison, helpless to do anything except hear about it through news reports. Again, it makes perfect sense that this has engendered massive resentment against Sisko, who made his capture into a personal crusade. Had Sisko simply left him alone, he would have been able to at least try to save his people from the Jem'Hadar, even if all that would have resulted in was him dying alongside them.

Both men have valid points, but both exaggerate their claims. The Maquis may have become more aggressive under Eddington, but the real damage to Cardassia was wrought by the Dominion's eradication of the Obsidian Order and by the Klingon conflict. Sisko, in turn, did make his pursuit of Eddington personal - but Eddington was launching biogenic attacks against entire planets, clearly raising the stakes past what Starfleet was willing to accept. Our knowledge of the backstory lets us see that neither man is entirely wrong, but neither is entirely right.

The plot ticks along at a swift pace, buoyed by some of the most beautiful effects the series has yet offered in the Badlands scenes. The sequence in which Eddington and Sisko desperately evade two Jem'Hadar warships is particularly well-done, outstanding effects edited tautly with the live action to create a truly nail-biting moment. The planet-bound action of the last third is also effective, the stock Trek set given atmosphere by the dim lighting, by the smoke hanging in the air, and by the Maquis corpses that surround both men even as they battle through Jem'Hadar to reach their goal.

All of this makes Blaze of Glory a good episode, but there is a slightly mechanical quality to it that keeps me from rating it as a great one. Part of this is that the Maquis strand, while far better-handled by DS9 than by Voyager, never felt completely a part of the series. Once or twice a season, DS9 would remember the Maquis were there and do an episode involving them. Folding Eddington into the arc upped the stakes a bit (and did something interesting with a previously bland character)... but in the full season that separated Eddington's betrayal from this resolution, there was only one other Maquis episode and a handful of isolated mentions.

All of which leaves the sense that this episode was mainly designed to cut out an inconvenient thread so that it wouldn't distract from the building Dominion conflict. Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe are among the show's best writers, and they do a fine job of making the Maquis resolution fit with what's come before. But with only scattered build-up of that arc prior to this point, the ending just doesn't have the power that it should have had.

It's still good, though, and significant within the fabric of the series. It's just a pity that the Maquis were never truly exploited to their full potential.


Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: Children of Time
Next Episode: Empok Nor

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5-13. For the Uniform.

Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall),
leader of the Maquis.

THE PLOT

A Maquis informant gives Sisko a long-awaited lead in his pursuit of Michael Eddington (Kenneth Marshall), the once-trusted security officer who betrayed Sisko eight months earlier. Eddington is now a leader in the Maquis, and he has been waiting for the inevitable rendezvous with his old captain. He activates a virus he had planted deep within the Defiant's systems, allowing him to escape after warning Sisko that it is time for him to "walk away."

Starfleet apparently believes so, as well. Captain Sanders (Eric Pierpoint) tells Sisko that Eddington's pursuit has been taken away from Sisko and assigned to him. Starfleet apparently has lost confidence in Sisko's ability to get the job done, believing that his personal feelings are clouding his judgment. When evidence surfaces of a Maquis attack located too far away from Sanders' position, however, Sisko disregards orders, taking the still-damaged Defiant out to track down the Maquis leader once and for all!

CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: Took Eddington's betrayal as a personal failure. Not only did he fail to notice anything was off about his officer, he actually recommended him for a promotion. Though we haven't seen him pursuing Eddington (whom I don't believe has even been mentioned since For the Cause), he has apparently been trying to track him down for eight months without success. Once he finally does have the scent, he pursues his quarry relentlessly. To defeat Eddington at the end, he orders a particularly ruthless action - an order that gives Worf and Kira a moment's pause before they follow it.

Dax: Though she supports Sisko's actions, she also tells him to remember his insistence on pursuing Eddington without authorization the next time he wants to lecture her about hot-headedness. She continues to act as a friend, listening as Sisko vents. She also picks up on the key point about Eddington's love of Les Miserables,allowing Sisko to fold that into his own tactics.

Odo: Only has a small role in this episode, but he does get a couple good moments. His best bit comes early on. He asks Sisko if he had ever reminded Starfleet that they assigned Eddington because they didn't trust him. When Sisko replies that he hasn't brought that up, Odo says: "Please do." Good to see that the constable has neither forgotten that snub nor forgiven it.

Eddington: During his time on Deep Space 9, he prepared for being a fugitive by planting viruses in the systems of both the Defiant and the station. Though he is definitely a criminal, he sees himself as the hero of the story. He compares Sisko's pursuit of him to Inspector Javert's pursuit of Jean Valjean in Les Miserables. This tic, complete with his actually calling Sisko "Javert" in later conversations, ultimately makes Sisko realize that Eddington's view of himself as the "romantic hero" is a weakness he can exploit.

THOUGHTS

DS9 picks up the Maquis thread for the first time this season, in a direct sequel to last year's For the Cause. The episode not only marks the return of Eddington and the Maquis storyline, it features one more welcome return as well: writer Peter Allen Fields. Fields wrote some of the best episodes of Seasons One and Two. Duet, The Circle, Necessary Evil, and Blood Oath were all his. He also collaborated on Dax (one of the best early episodes) and Crossover.

While this script isn't up to most of the level of most of those shows, it is still a good, tight thriller. It does a good job of ratcheting up the stakes for Sisko by showing how much Eddington's betrayal was a personal insult to him."He played me... And what is my excuse? Is he a Changeling? No. Is he a being with seven lifetimes of experience? No. Is he a wormhole alien? No. He's just a man, like me - And he beat me!"

Judging the episode only as itself, with no broader context, Sisko's turmoil is a great strength. It makes the chase very personal, and adds a needed emotional level to the proceedings. In the greater context of the series, though, his rage doesn't fully convince. It's been eight months... and in all that time, Sisko hasn't mentioned Eddington nor has he seemed particularly on-edge. We're apparently meant to believe he has been following up leads to find Eddington offscreen. But with that pursuit getting not so much as a throwaway line until now, I can't quite buy into it.

None of which stops this from being good entertainment. The story is swiftly-paced, and does a fine job of making Eddington into a formidable opponent. We see him outmaneuver Sisko twice in the first twenty minutes, then see him trick both Sisko and Capt. Sanders around the midpoint of the episode. His tactics are well-played and believable. Also, since each of these encounters sees Eddington fooling Sisko yet again, it effectively builds Sisko's anger at being fooled by a man he had once trusted.

The ending is effective in wrapping up the plot of the episode without tying off the Maquis strand. As Sisko says, his actions in this episode maintain the balance of power in the disputed region without actually stabilizing the larger situation. The show clearly plans to revisit this thread. I just hope it won't take another eight months for it to do so.

Overall Rating: 7/10.

Previous Episode: The Begotten
Next Episode: In Purgatory's Shadow


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4-22. For the Cause.

Sisko suspects Kasidy of being a Maquis agent.

THE PLOT

With the Cardassians focused on rebuilding after the Klingon assault, the Maquis influence has been allowed to grow. With Starfleet rendering aid to Cardassia by sending a shipment of replicators to them, Commander Eddington (Kenneth Marshall) briefs Sisko on concerns that the Maquis will attempt to intercept the shipment. Sisko orders steps taken to secure the station while the replicators stop at Deep Space 9, but Eddington and Odo have one further worry. The possibility of a Maquis smuggler on Deep Space 9.

Their suspect is Sisko's lover, Kasidy Yates (Penny Johnson). While all the evidence is circumstantial, it is significant - particularly when Kasidy denies familiarity with star systems Sisko knows she has visited. As the coincidences grow, so do Sisko's suspicions. Meanwhile, Garak begins showing an interest in Ziyal (Tracy Middendorf), Gul Dukat's half-Bajoran daughter... and being Garak, it seems likely that this interest has some ulterior motive.


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: His first impulse is to deny Odo and Eddington any additional investigation of Kasidy. His sense of duty is too strong, however, and he gives them discretion to inspect her ship and to follow her in the cloaked Defiant. At every turn, he provides Kasidy with opportunities to escape. When she prepares to leave for a rendezvous that will almost certainly end in her arrest, Sisko meets her on the docking ring and begs her to just drop everything and run away with him to Risa. Brooks' performance has gone from strength to strength this season, and he is once again excellent here.

Eddington: As the man in charge of Starfleet-related security on the station, this episode allows him to emerge from the background. A notable scene occurs when he is accompanying the Defiant, following Kasidy as she makes her rendezvous. O'Brien and Worf argue their views of the Maquis: O'Brien sympathizes with their defense of their homes, while Worf views them as dishonorable for betraying their Starfleet oaths and turning to terrorism. Eddington refuses to give his opinion, stating that his place is just to follow orders: "I do my job... Starfleet says to find the Maquis, I'll find the Maquis. They tell me to help them, I'll help them. My opinion is irrelevant." In a more unguarded conversation with Sisko, he reveals some issues with Starfleet's refusal to simply allow the Maquis to leave the Federation, comparing the way the Federation expands to enfold new worlds to the assimilation of races by the Borg.

Garak: When Ziyal approaches him in his shop, he reacts with suspicion, worrying that the daughter of his sworn enemy may plan to kill him. Quark has some fun at his expense, a few well-placed observations leading Garak to second- and even third-guess his own instincts. Finally, he just directly confronts her about her motives... all the while concealing a weapon in case she turns out to be something other than just a lonely and innocent girl.

Kasidy Yates: After being prominently mentioned in The Muse, it's hardly a surprise that Kasidy is strongly featured in the very next episode. The character is a delight, as always. Penny Johnson is a strong actress who plays well opposite Avery Brooks. The strength of both actress and character keeps her from ever getting overwhelmed by Brooks or Sisko. In an episode in which these two strong-willed people, each of whom cares deeply about the other but also about their commitments, their scenes cannot help but resonate with emotion and tension.


THOUGHTS

I've commented before about how the emergence of The Dominion and the Klingon/Cardassian conflict has marginalized the development of Bajor. The Maquis strand, which was established in late Season Two, has also been pushed very much to the side by these other conflicts. I don't think the Maquis has been the central focus of an episode since Season Three's Defiant, and they've been only barely mentioned in Season Four.

For the Cause brings the Maquis back into focus, and does so in a way that's very personal for our regulars, Sisko in particular. By creating a situation in which Sisko suspects Kasidy, we once again see the Maquis strand putting Sisko at odds with someone he cares about: Cal Hudson in The Maquis, Kasidy here. That personal focus is even more effective here, because Kasidy is a character we already have come to know and because Penny Johnson's performance far outstrips Bernie Casey's wooden, "collect-the-paycheck" work of the earlier two-parter.

There are many good elements here. I appreciated Sisko's desperation to allow Kasidy an out. Even at the end, when he is finally convinced that she must be guilty, he gives her a chance to escape. "Kasidy Yates is my responsibility," he tells Odo, in a tone that brooks no argument. I was also glad to see the episode remember that the situation with the Maquis is a complex one. They are responding to injustices against them by the Cardassians, ones which Starfleet willfully ignored to preserve a treaty the other side was violating. These are not cardboard villains; the argument between O'Brien and Worf, and the later conversation between Sisko and Eddington, reminds the viewer just how messy the Maquis situation is.

With an ending that demands follow-up, it seems a safe bet that there will be more made of the Maquis strand in Season Five. Personally, I look forward to seeing the fallout.


Overall Rating: 8/10.

Previous Episode: The Muse
Next Episode: To the Death


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4-10. Our Man Bashir.

Bashir prepares to play for very high stakes.

THE PLOT

Dr. Bashir is enjoying his new holosuite program, an elaborate environment crafted after James Bond spy thrillers. He has spent practically every moment of his free time in the holosuites, and has refused to talk about his program. This has raised Garak's interest, leading the tailor/spy to break into the program to join Bashir in his latest holo-exploit.

Garak has picked a particularly interesting night to do this. Sisko, Kira, Dax, Worf, and O'Brien are returning from a conference. Routine stuff, until sabotage causes their shuttle to begin a warp core breach. Eddington beams them out - but the explosion disrupts their patterns. The five crew members' patterns are rerouted into Bashir's holosuite. Each crew member becomes a different character in the game, some allies helping Bashir, others villains seeking to kill him.

Bashir has no choice but to keep the program running. He also has to protect all five characters. If any of them is killed in the course of the scenario, then that person's pattern will be wiped out - effectively killing them. And with the holosuite safety settings turned off, Bashir and Garak also must deal with the very real possibility that they might be killed in the process!


CHARACTERS

Capt. Sisko: In the holosuite program, he takes on the role of Dr. Hippocrates Noah, a supervillain who plans to destroy the world with lasers. He and Dr. Evil would get along famously. As the Bond villain, Avery Brooks makes an interesting choice. Instead of going for real menace (something he's very capable of), he camps it up and goes for laughs. The choice works well enough, and it's fun to see Sisko decked out like Dr. No fantasizing about using lasers to cover the globe with oceans, but I think I'd have preferred him to play it straight. 

Dr. Bashir: Though the episode itself never truly follows up on Garak's musings about what this fantasy may reveal about Bashir's true nature, it is interesting that he uses his real name within the program. In Picard's fantasy, he was Dixon Hill, private detective. But playing the role of superspy, Bashir chooses to be... Julian Bashir. He also has some real knowledge about geology - It isn't technobabble he uses to pass himself of as a geologist to Dr. Noah.

Major Kira: Takes on the role of Soviet Colonel Anastasia Komananov, Julian's KGB rival and lover. Nana Visitor throws herself into this with abandon, from the accent down to the seductive way of moving that is more like Kira the Intendant than the regular Major Kira. She and Siddig play wonderfully opposite each other, making it seem a shame that this is one of only a very few episodes in which they share any substantial screentime.

O'Brien/Dax/Worf: All get amusing cameos within Julian's program. O'Brien becomes an eyepatch-wearing heavy. Worf is a gambling lackey to Dr. Noah. Dax is a scientist kidnapped by Dr. Noah. Each gets a fun turn, though the most revealing of Julian's fantasies is probably his interaction with Dax, in which he seduces her into freeing him from a very Dr. Evil-like deathtrap.

Garak: What better character to put into the role of observer of a James Bond fantasy than a professional spy? Garak watches the workings of Bashir's fantasy program with bemusement, commenting on the unreality in a spy living such a lavish life. He gets most of the best lines, mostly undercutting the situations in which the characters find themselves. He also shows a pragmatically cold-blooded response once it becomes clear that the holodeck safeties are off. When Bashir refuses to kill the villainous O'Brien character, Garak says he shouldn't dismiss the idea too quickly:

"I want you to stop treating this like a game where everything's going to turn out all right in the end. Real spies have to make hard choices. You want to save Dax? Fine. But you may not have the luxury of saving everyone... Eventually you may have to let someone die." 


THOUGHTS

Our Man Bashir is a holodeck episode. By itself, this is a rarity for Deep Space 9. Unlike TNG and Voyager, DS9 has never really succumbed to the temptation of padding out its episode orders with holodeck episodes. There have been a few ventures into the holosuites on the periphery of the series' stories, but this is the first full-fledged holodeck episode of the series... almost halfway into the show's fourth season. 

The episode is also a delight from start to finish. 

Ronald D. Moore stuffs his teleplay to the brim with Bond movie references. We get Bashir playing baccarat with Worf's Le Chiffre-like henchman, a supervillain's lair high in the mountains, female characters with names that are sexual innuendoes, and Dr. Noah himself. It's a Bond lover's paradise, and the homages are carefully tuned to work within the story, rather than the story making left turns to accommodate the gags.

Moore is a master of structure, and one of the things that makes this episode so good is just how well-structured the story is. If you take out the Trek elements, it actually works as a '60's spy story. One development leads to the next, the villain's plan makes use of plot elements planted early in the story, and the heroes are taken captive at exactly the right point to raise tension. The story-within-the-story is  good television in and of itself, albeit television of a different era.

Moore also recognizes that the real interest in this episode is in watching Bashir and Garak run through the James Bond plot. He spends just enough time outside the holosuite to set up the complication involving Sisko, Kira, and the rest, then cuts away to that strand just often enough to build toward the resolution. But the script spends as little time as possible outside the holosuite. As a bonus, because the technobabble scenes involving the transporter and the holodeck memory are written so tightly to be kept so short, these scenes work very well too. The result is a strong A plot/B plot interaction, with both strands succeeding admirably.

The use of Garak to provide a running commentary on the spy story is inspired, as is the cliche-inverting ending. All the other characters are in their 1960's spy show, thinking they're playing for one set of stakes. Bashir knows the reality of the situation, and is playing to a completely different goal. The script uses that to have Bashir turn the apparent situation upside-down for the sake of the real one. The way in which Bashir saves the day is as perfectly-judged as it is surprising.

Another great episode in what seems likely to be Deep Space 9's best season. Full marks.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: The Sword of Kahless
Next Episode: Homefront 


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Thoughts on Season Three

PREVIOUSLY ON DEEP SPACE 9...

Season Two took the most promising elements of the series' first season and built on them.

The Bajoran political situation became more tangled. Things became really messy with The Collaborator, as the fanatical Vedek Winn (Louise Fletcher) was anointed as the spiritual leader - effectively ceding control of the planet to the worst possible person. We got more insight into the past of the space station itself, and into the pasts of the various characters (notably Kira and Odo). Two strong recurring characters, the charming but untrustworthy Garak (Andrew Robinson) and the militaristic Gul Dukat (Marc Alaimo), were given added depth, making both far more interesting than they previously had been. Meanwhile, the show's regulars were allowed to steadily come into their own as characters. By the end of the season, Deep Space 9 had become a rare ensemble show that had no real weak link.

In the background, we also started to hear about a new threat from the Gamma Quadrant: The Dominion. And in the second season finale, the Dominion showed itself to fully merit that buildup, allowing the year to end on an ominous note.


SEASON THREE: A SHIFT IN FOCUS

The events of The Jem'Hadar demanded followup... something the show's producers recognized. The opening two-parter follows directly on. In a brilliant stroke, the writers make the leaders of the Dominion changelings, tying this entire strand of the series directly to Odo. The Dominion aren't just a physical threat to our heroes - They are an emotional threat to Odo, one that will doubtless reverberate throughout the remainder of the series.

The Search doesn't tie everything up neatly. Though there is a return to "business as usual" as the season progresses, with regular expeditions to the Gamma Quadrant, the Dominion remains a threat. They are mentioned throughout the season, even in episodes that don't involve them. They are left mainly as a background menace in Season Three, a looming conflict which Starfleet is trying to prepare for. But we see just enough of them in action, particularly in The Die is Cast and The Adversary, to recognize that Starfleet is almost certainly outmatched.

The Dominion storyline is wonderfully handled, progressing enough to pave the way for future developments without overshadowing the individual episodes. But it does represent a shift in focus. Previously, the series seemed to turn on Sisko's mission to prepare Bajor for admission to the Federation. Most of the best episodes of Seasons One and Two revolved around Bajor, its messy political situation, and the wounds left over from the (still very recent) Cardassian Occupation.

In Season Three, Bajor often feels like an afterthought. Only three episodes significantly deal with the Bajoran/Cardassian situation: Second Skin, Life Support, and Shakaar. The second of these mainly serves to tie off the Bajoran/Cardassian conflict, probably to avoid splitting focus between that and the Dominion. The peace agreement offers dramatic opportunities of its own, but so far those haven't been seriously addressed. Shakaar ends up being the only Bajoran-centered episode of the season that promises future developments.

Don't get me wrong: I am genuinely enjoying the Dominion arc and look forward to seeing where it goes.  But I would hate to see its development come at the expense of the Bajoran story.


THE CURIOUS PROBLEM OF COMMANDER EDDINGTON

As a series, Deep Space 9 has been pretty good so far about making use of the opportunities its individual episodes provide. Intriguing guest characters become recurring characters who become fixtures, such as Gul Dukat and Garak. Events that should have implications have a tendency to get followed up on - a rarity in other Trek shows, and a delight to see happening in this one.

But this season introduces one missed opportunity, and that is Commander Eddington.

Eddington is introduced at the season's start, in The Search. His addition represents a shake-up for station security, with Starfleet security matters being taken away from Odo - a shift that creates a lot of potential for tension. But after The Search, Eddington is neither seen nor mentioned again until The Die Is Cast, fairly late in the season. To be perfectly honest, I forgot all about the character by the time he reappeared!

We really needed to see more of him, particularly in the first half of the season. In The Search, Odo resents his coming so much that he almost leaves the station. By The Adversary, the two have forged a reasonable working relationship - and done so entirely offscreen. At least one more appearance in the first part of the season, something to show Odo coming to accept and even respect him, would have been welcome - as would have been mentions of him in episodes where things should have concerned Starfleet security, particularly when Odo "adopted" a Jem'Hadar.

Thankfully, the last part of the season indicates that the writers have not only remembered Eddington's existence, but actually might do something with him. The Die Is Cast and, particularly, The Adversary show that both the character and actor Kenneth Marshall have the potential to work well within the fabric of this show. His conversation with Sisko in the season finale hints at frustrated career ambitions, and his prominence in that episode gives me hope for some interesting developments for the character next season.


SEASON FOUR WISH LIST

It's becoming difficult to come up with much of a "wish list" for Deep Space 9. The series has done such a good job of building on its own successes. Season One was a promising start. Season Two was a huge improvement, cementing this as a quality series. I'd rate Season Three as even stronger, with the best hit rate yet and the strongest sense of events that are building to something more. When a series is so successful at keeping its universe interesting and its overall story moving, it seems almost churlish to impose some list of preferences on it.

Still, I hope (and expect) to see the Dominion start to emerge in the foreground, instead of simply being whispered about in the background. Odo's final line from The Adversary demands follow-up, as do his actions in breaking the changelings' single greatest law. I look forward to seeing how those events will unfold.

I also hope that Bajor is allowed some episodes, maybe even another multi-parter, to keep its story alive. Bajor became an afterthought in Season Three. I really hope better use is made of the Bajoran situation in Season Four. Kai Winn has most recently attempted to take control of the civilian government. She's been rebuffed, but it seems certain that she should attempt to extend her influence in more underhanded ways. With Shakaar, an adversrary of Winn's, becoming the head of the civilian government, there is plenty of potential for good storytelling. I would like to see that explored, and not just through a token episode here or there that amounts to the show saying, "Oh, here's a Bajor episode!"

Maybe the Bajoran story could even be tied in with the Dominion one in some way, so that it all becomes one great narrative?


IN CONCLUSION

Aside from my reservations about the treatment of the Bajoran thread this year, Season Three was yet another fine season of Deep Space 9. At this point, the show is not only my favorite Trek spinoff, it has the potential to topple TOS as my absolute favorite Trek. So above any wish list, I'm currently content just to go wherever the show takes me. Based on the first three seasons, it's bound to be interesting.


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3-26. The Adversary.

Sisko enjoys a long-overdue promotion.

THE PLOT

Krajensky (Lawrence Pressman), a Federation ambassador, arrives with news: There has been a coup on the homeworld of the Tzenkethi, a race whose relationship with the Federation is already strained. Without information about which faction is now in control, Krajensky asks Sisko to take the Defiant to that sector in order to "raise the flag" in order to discourage potential moves against nearby Federation colonies.

The Defiant is twelve hours from the border of Tzenkethi space when a transmission is received from a colony world. The colony is under attack. When the transmission cuts off suddenly, it appears everyone's worst fears have been realized. Sisko orders an immediate report to Starfleet, and that's when another horrible discovery is made: Communications have been tampered with, the control mechanisms blocked by force fields. There is a saboteur on board the Defiant, and it could be any one of them. Quite literally...


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Is promoted to full captain. He appreciates the promotion and the good wishes of his crew, but he insists it doesn't actually change anything. "I have the assignment I want, the crew I want," he says, which means that rank isn't that important. Once he discovers there is a saboteur, and that the saboteur is a changeling, he focuses on dealing with the situation at hand. Every step he takes to counter his opponent is sensible within the situation, though the sight of security locking non-essential crew behind force fields is still disturbing.

Odo: Given that Eddington's arrival on the station almost caused him to quit, it's surprising how well the two security men work together here. It makes me regret once again how little we've seen of Eddington this season, as it would have been nice to have seen this working relationship evolve. Odo refuses to take a phaser to hunt the saboteur, telling Eddington that in all his years working security, he has never needed a weapon and has never taken a life. "I don't intend to start now," he declares - and this being a season finale, I knew as soon as he said it that the episode would end with him being forced to cross that line.

O'Brien: His friendship with Dr. Bashir has evolved to a point where the two men are almost like brothers. It is that level of loyalty O'Brien feels he is breaking when he tells Sisko that he saw Bashir in the conduits. He doesn't really believe Bashir is the saboteur (though his relief is visible when the doctor's innocence is confirmed), but he still feels like it's a betrayal to briefly make his friend into a suspect. At the episode's end, when there are two Odos facing off in Engineering, O'Brien refuses to be distracted from his efforts to regain control of the ship.  "I have more important things to do than play Choose the Changeling," he declares, sealing Engineering and then focusing on his work.


THOUGHTS

There are many reasons why Deep Space 9 is my favorite Star Trek spinoff. Its darker tone appeals to me.  I also love the way it keeps building on its own continuity, making events from episodes not simply pay off down the line, but resonate through multiple episodes and even seasons.

"No changeling has ever harmed another." This has been repeated all season long, ever since Odo first encountered his people in The Search. It's become an axiom, echoing through episodes such as The Abandoned, Heart of Stone, and The Die Is Cast. We've been told this is true in the season opener. We've seen its truth in the changelings' rescue of Odo in The Die Is Cast and in their multiple attempts to get Odo to join their Great Link.

It is the way in which this has been established as Fact, even as Divine Law, that makes the ending so devastating for Odo. Add in his own, perfectly in-character declaration of pride in never having killed, and the way in which this particular cat-and-mouse game plays out becomes all but inevitable. Since that axiom is the only absolute law established among the changelings, we also realize what Odo must realize: With this act, he has likely forever closed the door on any chance of joining Changeling society. Which, as The Die Is Cast revealed, has been his one great wish.

If the Odo material was all this episode had going for it, this would still be a very strong episode. But The Adversary is superbly executed on pretty much all levels. It starts off already looking like it will be a strong suspense/action piece. Then, at every Act break, the stakes are raised. It appears the Tzenkethi are attacking Federation colonies; the Defiant has been sabotaged by a changeling; the ship is out of control, and Sisko may be forced to destroy it to avoid starting a war. It's as if the characters are caught in a vice that just keeps slowly, steadily tightening. Kudos to writers Ira Steven Behr and Robert Hewitt Wolfe for such a superbly-structured script.

And also to director Alexander Singer, who amplifies the tension with judicious use of tight shots and sudden bursts of action. As the tone of the episode darkens, so does the overall lighting. As the tension increases, the camera frames the characters ever more tightly. Nor does it truly lighten at the end, the foreboding atmosphere maintained as Odo reports the changeling's final message:

"We are everywhere."


In the Hands of the Prophets, The Jem'Hadar, and now this episode. It must be said: Deep Space 9 definitely knows how to close out a season!


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Facets
Next Episode: The Way of the Warrior


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3-21. The Die Is Cast.

Garak interrogates Odo.

THE PLOT

Garak has joined his old mentor, Enabran Tain (Paul Dooley), as Tain prepares to launch a first strike against the Dominion. Tain's plan is to attack the Founders' home world, eliminating them as a threat. The drug dependency used to control the Jem'Hadar will then neutralize them, as they will die within weeks of the Founders' destruction. This will remove the Dominion threat and, on a more personal level, provide Tain with a path back to power and Garak with an opportunity to take revenge on his old enemies in the Cardassian Empire.

This does, however, leave Odo as a prisoner on Tain's ship. Tain, for his part, requires a show of loyalty from Garak. A vigorous interrogation of Odo, with use of a stasis field to disable his shapeshifting abilities and make him vulnerable to torture!


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Even under orders to stay at the station and take no action regarding the Cardassian/Romulan fleet, he will not simply sit by while one of his officers is taken into a war zone. He disregards orders and takes the Defiant through the wormhole to rescue Odo. When this takes him directly into combat, he is very ready for it - though as soon as the constable and Garak are rescued, he is equally ready to get away as quickly as possible.

Odo: Rene Auberjonois gets a great scene, as Odo is interrogated by Garak. He never displays any fear, even as the Cardassian stasis field keeps him from reverting to his liquid state, leaving him a dried out husk with skin literally peeling away. As Odo stands there, a living wreck, he continues to batter Garak with his observations, recognizing that this is far from the return to glory the Cardassian had dreamt of.

Dr. Bashir: The teaser sees Bashir attempting to have lunch with his other best friend, Chief O'Brien. Bashir expounds on theatre, while O'Brien basically ignores him and eats. The doctor's frustration at his failed attempt to replicate his lunches with Garak is very funny, and this brief interaction shows just how important Bashir's friendship with Garak is to him - as important in its own way as his friendship with O'Brien.

Commander Eddington: I'd completely forgotten about Eddington. I think the writers had, too. Much was made of his introduction, but he's gone not only unseen, but entirely unmentioned in the twenty episodes since. Given that he was placed in charge of Starfleet security on the station, I'd have thought he'd at least receive some mention in some of the intervening episodes. As it stands, it took me a moment to remember who this extra character was. "Odo's my friend, too," he insists - but since these two characters have shared no screen time since Eddington's appointment, we can't even judge this statement as a lie. A rare missed opportunity for this series, as it keeps any of the character's actions in this episode from having any resonance at all.

Garak: "Do you know what the sad part is, Odo? I'm a very good tailor." Back in his old role as Enabran Tain's right hand, Garak finds he has no taste for the job anymore. Some of this is down to Tain, whose orders are immediately too ruthless. He talks of eliminating his housekeeper, the very woman who pleaded with Garak to help Tain just one episode ago. He orders Garak to interrogate Odo, refusing to accept Garak's belief that Odo has nothing to tell. It's no surprise that the episode ends with Garak back at his tailor's shop - but he's emotionally in a very different place, which will hopefully result in further developments down the line.


THOUGHTS

A rare case of Part Two being even better than Part One. The Die Is Cast picks up on the idea of Enabran Tain's first strike against the Dominion. What's interesting is that all of the Alpha Quadrant governments have the same basic idea: To sit back and wait, not dirty their hands on this "rogue operation," but hope for its success just the same. This approach defines not only the Cardassians and the Romulans, but also Starfleet. "I never hope for war," a Starfleet official tells Sisko, "but if it comes, I want the Dominion to be on the losing side."

The Garak scenes are predictably the best in the show. Put back in a position of power, Garak finds that his ability to lie with absolute smoothness only goes so far. It's clear from the start that he's trying to protect Odo - but it's also clear to Tain and the Romulan captain, and Garak is forced to do what he least wants: torture someone he might have considered a friend.

The scene in which Garak interrogates Odo is the episode's strongest, with Rene Auberjonois and Andrew Robinson both outstanding. I particularly like the way writer Ronald D. Moore's script keeps each character determined to betray no sign of weakness. Garak is silky, charming, and utterly terrifying as he presses Odo for answers. Odo, in turn, is defiant, spitting sarcasm back at Garak even under torture. Both characters do give, just a little: Garak, practically whispering in Odo's ear as he begs the shapeshifter to say something - "lie if you have to!" - and Odo confiding his desire to join his people's Great Link. It is only when Garak shuts off the field, though, that they show their weakness: Odo returning to liquid form, Garak allowing himself to bury his head in his hands in exhaustion and self-disgust.

This is an episode which should have far-reaching consequences. The Dominion has been a background threat throughout the season - frequently mentioned, but largely passive save for a single attempt to get Odo to join them. Now they have been officially engaged, which should make them a more active threat. At the same time, this should cause a shift in the Cardassians' internal balance of power, which might be rather interesting to see. Whatever the case, I look forward to seeing the fallout from this - doubtless around the season's end.

The best episode of the season, and one which promises much to come as the series continues.


Overall Rating: 10/10.

Previous Episode: Improbable Cause

Next Episode: Explorers

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3-1, 3-2. The Search.

Odo explores his roots.

THE PLOT

In the wake of the Jem'Hadar's ultimatum, Sisko reports to Starfleet while Kira and the command staff run battle simulations. They all come back with the same result: The Jem'Hadar boarding the station within two hours of engagement. Sisko comes back with a new trump card: the Defiant, a new Starfleet ship, complete with cloaking device, originally designed for combat with the Borg.

Sisko's new mission is to use the Defiant to go through the wormhole. The hope is to seek out The Founders, the fabled (possibly mythical) rulers of The Dominion, to negotiate. But they will have to brave several brushes with the Jem'Hadar to reach their goal. And the closer they get to the heart of The Dominion, the more Odo feels himself called - to a rogue Class M planet, adrift in the Omarion Nebula...

"Welcome home."


CHARACTERS

Commander Sisko: Has come to think of Deep Space 9 as home, something that Jake is quick to notice on their return from Earth. Though he may be uncomfortable with having been dubbed "Emissary" by the Bajorans, he is fierce in his protection of Bajor. Part 1 sees him announce to Jake that he is unwilling to let the Dominion have Bajor; Part 2 shows how far he is willing to go to prove that. He has become increasingly disillusioned with the Admiralty, reflecting how proud he used to be to go through the doors at Starfleet in such a way that his lack of pride in them shows all too clearly.

Major Kira: Her friendship with Odo is shown as she stands up for Odo's position to Sisko. When Sisko points out that he understands Starfleet's decision, even if he disagrees with it - that Odo is "not a team player" - Kira fiercely defends him, pointing out that he gets results. She continues to be a friend to Odo when she accompanies him to the changeling homeworld. She encourages him in reconnecting with his people. She never forgets her duty to Sisko and the others, however, continually attempting to find a way to contact them even after the Changeling matriarch (Salome Jens) forbids her to send any communications.

Odo: Sisko's return sees Odo's status as head of security diminished. He is still chief of security in all matters not pertaining to Starfleet... but in any matter that does impact Starfleet, he must report to Starfleet Commander Eddington (Kenneth Marshall). Odo reacts exactly as he did the last time he saw his authority threatened: He offers his resignation. This seemingly cuts all ties with Starfleet just as he discovers his own homeworld. Still, his friendship with Kira and his loyalty to the Deep Space 9 crew show themselves when he is forced to make a hard choice at the climax.

Dax: What died on top of her head? I've consistently enjoyed Terry Farrell's Dax, but if this is her new look for Season Three, then I hope her screentime is minimal until it runs its course. I've never really been one to notice hairstyles... but the "dead animal on top of head" look is so bad as to be genuinely distracting!


CHANGES FOR SEASON THREE

Perhaps under the theory that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," relatively little changed in the show's basic format between Seasons One and Two. With the momentous events of Season Two's finale, however, along with Deep Space 9's rating struggles, some very visible changes have been made to the series for Season Three.

The introduction of the Defiant is the most visible of these. The series now has its own starship, so that Sisko and his crew can travel to different parts of space in a starship. I'm glad the show had two seasons without this feature, as it forced the show to either stay on the station or put the characters in a position of relative weakness in every episode. However, given the developments of The Jem'Hadar, this change makes sense. Deep Space 9 is now effectively the front line of a possible (in fact, very likely) war with the Dominion. Given that, they need more military strength of their own.

Another aspect of the Defiant that makes it work within the show's tone and context is that it has design flaws. When he looks over the ship, O'Brien comes up with a huge list of areas needing maintenance. Many of the crew quarters don't yet have life support. The engines are unreliable at full power, because the ship is "overgunned and overpowered." It has no luxuries, and its capabilities are hobbled by its limitations. Another Enterprise would seem out of place in the gritty, flawed world of Deep Space 9. But a ship that is itself full of flaws and limitations that must be worked around? That suits the show just fine.


THOUGHTS

The Search picks up the threads of The Jem'Hadar, with Starfleet reacting to the Jem'Hadar threat in typical Starfleet fashion: by trying to make peace. Part 1 sees Sisko attempting to initiate peace negotiations from a position of strength, by bringing the Defiant into the Dominion's territory. Part 2 sees Starfleet negotiating from a weaker position.  Starfleet appears willing to buy peace at any price, much to Sisko's frustration, as he realizes what the Stafleet admiralty will not: War is a terrible thing, but capitulation to tyranny is worse - and it's clear to Sisko, and us, that capitulation to the Dominion in the way Starfleet is prepared to do in Part 2 will only lead to the Dominion gaining a larger and larger foothold in the Alpha Quadrant, until they move to seize the Quadrant for themselves.

Of the two episodes, it's not surprising that Part One is the stronger. As I've noted in the past, the first episode of almost any two-parter generally has the advantage, in that its entire construction - building toward a cliffhanger - is to constrict the characters into an ever-tightening noose. The resolution, meanwhile, must free them from that noose - a process that can often lead to an anticlimax.

There's also a sharp divide in tone between Parts One and Two. Part One, written by Ronald D. Moore, is a thriller. Defiant infiltrates the Dominion Space using its cloaking device. Then we get the equivalent of a submarine running silent as it hides from passing Jem'Hadar warships. It explodes into action at the episode's end, just in time for a genuinely startling cliffhanger.

Part Two, from Ira Steven Behr, has some excellent scenes. All of the material involving Kira, Odo, and the shapeshifters is very good, with Rene Auberjonois on particularly fine form. But the scenes back on the station are much weaker, as the Federation's treaty with the Dominion proceeds far too quickly. The tone just feels off, with Starfleet capitulating to the Dominion far too quickly and easily, seemingly just to prompt Sisko and his crew to join with Garak for a big action climax. It's all very entertaining, but it doesn't seem to fit.

...Some of which is explained by an ending twist, albeit at the price of essentially nullifying a full half of Part Two. I might feel cheated at this ending, but so much of the station scenes feels so off-kilter anyway, that it actually serves to make sense of it. It may even be foreshadowed, at least a bit, when Sisko has a conversation with Garak and is genuinely surprised at how much he and Garak think alike.

In any case, the ending does at leat allow for some substantial development to the arc involving the Dominion. At the same time, we get a lot of good character material for Odo, which Rene Auberjonois responds to with his accustomed excellence. Even with Part Two being noticeably weaker than Part One, this remains a strong story overall, and a fine start to Deep Space 9's third season.


Overall Rating: 8/10

Previous Episode: The Jem'Hadar

Next Episode: The House of Quark

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